Chewing himself

[Ripley]

My boy has suddenly taken to chewing his own skin and fur, and it has started to leave some pretty bad spots on the inside of hind leg and right above his tail. at first we thought it might be fleas because i found a few, but they are long gone now and he is still going strong. it started about a week ago, but he had never done it excessivly before that. i have tried cortaid spray and other anti itch shampoo and gels and nothing seems to work. please help i cant stand to see him do this to himself and the closest vet that has any knowledge about Basenjis is far away

[JazzysMom]

Have you made any recent changes in diet? Or purchased new carpet, or furniture where he sits/sleeps, etc. Could be allergies.

On another note, and I cannot speak for dogs, necessarily, but we had a cat that was doing the same thing. She had herself bald from the waist down! All sorts of tests were run, but there were no medical problems. The vet thought it may be a reaction to stress, although to what we could not know. He actually put her on an anti-depressant for a short time {inexpensive treatment – something like $6.00 for a two week supply}, and the results were almost instant. She was on the meds for two weeks, that's it. It's been almost six months with no relapse of the behavior.

Just a thought. . .

[Sunny]

My sisters eskimo spitz and my g mom poodle both did this and it was allergies… Maybe u can try benadryl ... But ide try and get in to see the vet.

[tlbuddy]

Cali was doing the same thing for awhile and I took her to the vet because she was licking and chewing herself raw in certain places. At first I thought she might have fleas, but I do use Frontline Plus every month for that. The vet told me she could have been bit by a flea and had a nervous reation. I finally realized after the vet that Cali has contact allergies. Whenever she comes in contact with the grass or certain bushes she starts itching. I have started wiping her paws off everytime she comes in from outside. The vet also prescribed 1 Benadryl tablet once a day. She has been doing a lot better.
The vet also asked me if I use powder on the carpet before vacuuming because dogs can be allergic to it.
tlbuddy

[jessi76]

@Ripley:

please help i cant stand to see him do this to himself and the closest vet that has any knowledge about Basenjis is far away

I would go to the nearest vet, regardless. Why does a vet have to be knowledgable about B's? sure, it helps with certain things, but any dog, regardless of breed, can have food allergies, flea allergies, or a skin condition.

I would definately speak to a vet before attempting to medicate on your own.

[Ripley]

well, just as soon as it started it has stopped, he hasnt chewed on himself for two days and his wounds have scabbed over. the most likely answer was that he is allergic to some form of vegatation around my house. He slipped his collar and ran off briefly the day before all this happened and when i finally tracked him down he had a unpleasant odor. I quickly gave him a scubbing of a lifetime assuming he just got into some underbrush. The odor went away but the chewing began and lasted about a week or so. now he acts as if nothing ever happened.
Thank you all very much for your input, and suggestions. I plan on visiting a vet as soon as possible anyway for preventive measures. and hope to god this never happens again

[Duke]

Hi Ripley - Glad you're back and very happy that Ripley is getting better. She may have gotten an alergic reaction - seemingly. Off this topic and out of curiosity, how is Ripley doing with the crate training issue in a previous post.
http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=215

I hope you'll let us know if any advice worked for you.